The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-03-06
Make Their Final Report and
are Discharged.
INVESTIGATING THE JAILS.
A gainst the County JaiI-Tbe Cases
Heard and Disposed Of-"The
ChiId'-Etc.

Your Grand Jury, impaneied tor the
February term, respectfully submit
herewith their final report.
We met on February 7th, and have
been in session twenty-four days. Have
passed upon fifty-eight cases, of which
twenty-nine are Territorial, the balance
(29) under the laws of the United States.
Of the Territorial cases brought before
US, we have found indictments in eight
cen, cases, and ignored eleven. OF the
United States cases, we have ignored
seven eases and returned indictments
in twenty two.
On Monday, February 18th, members
Of the Grand Jury
VISITED THE CITY JAIL
with the view of reporting upon its
management and condition. We are
| justified in making a favorable report
and we believe the pres ent jailor is
earnest and conscientious in the dis
| charge of his duties. Any objection to
be made applies more to the building
than to the management. The cells
and sleeping apartments are inclined to
be damp, and the ventilation defective,
an objection which applies to nearly
| all but the more modern and improved
jails. The bedding in not what it should
| ne, and the general absence of suitable
| bedsteads or hunks renders it difficult
TO keep it in good condition for any
length of time.
On March LIST the jury, in body,
visitedand
INSPECTED THE COUNTY JAIL.
The arrangements for taking care of
and properly lodging prisoners in this
establishment are more detective than
in the City Jail. The cells and
prison apartments are damp, OPP
pressive and gloomy, and particu
larly detective as to ven tilation,
Here again, the absence of bedsteads or
elevated hunks renders it difficult to
keep mattresses ir bedding in pass
ably respectable condition for any
length of time; but apart from the diff
culties peculiar to the building, and for
which the present authorities and en-
ployees are in no sense responsible,
your jury feel justified in stating that
management which should be corrected.
There is lack of cleanliness; the walls
generally are dingy and defaced. The
mattresses and bedding are dilapidated
and Wretchedly dirty. The meals, how
ever, furnished the inmates are reported
satisfactory. 1t is a significant COM
ment on the management of this estab
| lishment to state that three boys,
aged respectively II Ii and Is, and
small for their age, on being
brought into court, for trial, and
before the Grand Jury for inspection,
on March LIST, showed such unmistak
al lie evidence of neglect, were so badly
clothed and so extremely dirty, that
immediate measures should at once be
taken to have them transferred to the
Penitent airy, where they can be batbed,
and where the rules require bathing
once week. The jury is given to I'M
derstand that the authorities contem-
plate the building of a new jail. II
such be the fact, it should be pushed to
completion with all reasonable dis
| patch.
On the afternoon of the last above
date, the Grand Jury
INSPECTED THE PENITENTIARY.
To designate such a building. this
possession of government whose treas
ury is so overfown that the disposition
and storage of its surplus is continual
source of concerns a misnomer.. It
is simply a pound, indiFerently sur
rounded by tumble down adobe, where
men are herded by day and stalled
by night, and the security against
escape. is in the more than
average good character of the inmates,
which offses the more than bad char
acter of the structure. The warden
seems earnest in his desire to make the
best of, and do the best with, the ma
terial at his disposal, but the Utah Pen
itentiary, manage it ever so well, is a
disgrace to the country and to the gov
eminent; or to any government whose
credit would justify the erection of a
moderately respectable building. Here.
as in the city and county jails. the most
serious objection is the lack of sleeping
accommodations. When we visited the
Penitentlary the prisoners numbered
l64, and nine were added during the
afternoon. The sleeping apartments
Tor these 1913 land the number is being
steadily increased) is as follows:
Bunk House No. l-20x22, II foot
ceiling; Ga men.
Bunk House No. 2-2Ox2O, 4S men.
Bunk House No. 3-20x28: 81 men.
Total-I66.
There is not standing room on the floor
OF three thin bunk houses for the men
who are compelled to sleep in them at
night. The ventilation, while be tier
than in the city or county Jail, never
theless is not what it should be. Con-
sidering the number of prisoners, the
more than probable increase OF the
number, and early approach of warm
weather, we earnestly ask the attention
of the proper authorities to the speedy
construction of additional sleeping
apartments. a decent regard for COM
mon humanity demands this much at
least. The remaining prisoners not of
the 166 packed in the three bunk houst s
mentioned, the warden disposes OF
in odd corners and out-of.the-way
places as well as he can. TIE major
part of those so disposed are what in
prison parlance is known as TRUSTEES,
While the whole structure Is
a WRETCHED APOLOGY
for the purpose ii is intended to serve.